Sheet separator



March 21, 1939- lr. R. BELLucHE 2,1512073 I SHEET SEFARATOR v Filedoca," 28, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 March 21, 1939. F. R. B'VELLUCHE2,151,073

SHEET SEPARATOR Filed Oct. 28, 1937 2 Sheets-snee*b 2 l? jg. 2. 5;, t nl' I8/ CAN Q va Ca/vmoufo 'HEMI/nw:

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Patentes Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frank B.. Belluche,Racine, Wis. I Application October 28, 1937, Serial No. 171,509

13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sheet separators for sheetlfeeding machines of the type illustrated in Patent No. 2,075,016 issuedto Elmer W. Belluche and Frank R. Belluche- March 30, 1937.

Many forms of sheet separators have been used in the past, butexperience has shown that combing wheels combing the top ofthe pile orbank of sheets to buckle the same toward the mouths of suckers, ingeneral is the most satisfactory type of separator, especially for pilefeeders of Y,

the type shown in the aforesaid patent.

In this type of separator as heretofore con'.

marring delicately surfaced sheets through too` long an engagement ofthe combing wheels therewith.

With these and other objections to past and existing sheet separators inmind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a separatormechanism wherein the combing wheel engages the pile of sheets for atime period only long enoughto efect proper engagement of the mouths 'ofthe suckers with the topmost sheet.

Another object of this invention is to pro-A Y vide a sheet separatorwherein the lifting ofthe combing wheels olf the topmost sheet iscontrolled by the sealing of the suction cups forming the mouths of thesuckers by the sheet so that the sealing ,of each suction cup isaccompanied by immediate lifting of its respective combing wheel. i;

Another object of this invention is to provide pneumatic means forlowering the combing wheels into operative engagement with the top f ofthe pile and to control the pneumatic means by thesuction at the suctioncups in such a manner that as long as the suction cups are open, thepneumatic means are operative and that upon sealingof the suction cupsby the topmost sheet, the pneumatic means are immediately renderedinoperative to release the combing Wheels for lifting off the top of thepile.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for coordinatingthe lowering of each combing wheel and its suction cup so that bothapproach the top of the pile in unison while the combing wheel is freeto be lifted independently of the suction cup.

Another object of this invention resides in' the y provision of apresser foot to engage the top of '5 the pile of sheets, and towardwhich -the combing wheel buckles the sheets, which presser foot iscarried by the suction cup to move in unison therewith and so locatedthat the suction cup is disposed between the presser foot andl combinglo wheel.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear 'as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides inthe novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substan- 15 tially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly detlned by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims. 20

The accompanying drawings illustrate one vcomplete example of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with thebest mode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which: 25

Figure 1 is a perspective view with parts broken away and in sectionillustrating one entire sheet separating mechanism constructed inaccordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the separating mecha- 30 nism showing thecombing wheel and suction cup raised, and having parts thereof brokenaway and in section and Figure 3 is .a top view of the mechanism withparts broken away and in section. 35

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings in which likenumerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates a combing wheelmounted to osclllate about a shaft 6 to and from operative engagementwith the top of a pile of 40 sheets 1. The combing wheel may be' of anydesired design and constructionand in the present instance islike thatshown and described in detail in the aforesaid Patent-No. 2,075,016.

Its shaft 8 extends through.' a tubular arm 9 43 which is fixed to agear box i0 in which beve1 gears (not shown) operate to provide adriving connection between the shaft 6 and the shaft 8 of the combingwheel. In this manner the combing wheel is constantly driven in adirection to buckle the topmost sheets inwardly toward a Dresser footIl.

'I'he shaft 6 is journalled in bearings carried by brackets l2 which areslidably supported on a transverse bar il to enable sidewise adi'ust- 55ment of the entire separating mechanism to accommodate sheets ofdifferent widths. The manner in which the shaft 6 is driven forms nopart of this invention, suiiice it to say that a suitable drivingconnection leads from the shaft 6 to a continuously driven part of thesheet feeding mechanism with which the separator is associated. r n

The presser foot II is clamped, as at I4, to the tube I5 of a suckerhaving asuction cup I6 mounted at its lower end. The upper end of thetube I5 has a suction line I1 attached thereto which leads to a suitablesource of suction (not shown) through a cam controlled timing valve I8diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 2.

The connected presser foot II and sucker are supported by levers I9 and20 pivoted respectively on transverse supporting shafts 2| and 22. Thelever 28 is medially supported from a cam 23 fixed to the shaft 6, by acam roller 24 carried by the lever and riding on the cam. Being fixed tothe shaft 6, the cam 23 rotates continuously to periodically raise andlower the lever 20 which is held down onto the cam by a tension spring25. The lever I8 pivots about the shaft 2l, and consequently, theraising and lowering of the lever 20 swings the ksuction cup upwardlyand forwardly to lift and advance a sheet which it has picked up.

When the low part of the cam 23 passes under the roller 24, the suctioncup and presser foot are lowered down onto the pile of sheets, as shownin Figure l, with the presser foot slightly in advance of the suctioncup so that upon buckling of the top sheets by the combing wheel towardthe presser foot, they are raised toward the mouth of the suction cupI6.

A blower 26 is also provided to project a blast of air under the topsheet after it has been lifted and to also act as a presser foot. Thisblower is cam actuated in a manner somewhat similar to the actuation ofthe sucker and presser foot II, but as this elementrdoes not form adirect part of the present invention, no further description thereofwill be given. Ii desired, reference may be had to the aforesaid PatentNo. 2,075,016 for its description.

The combing wheel 5 is biased to a raised po- 'sition by a spring 21hooked to the transverse shaft 2l and to a pin 28 mounted in a lug 2Sformed. on the tubular arm 9. Also attached to the pin 28 is a link 38,the upper end of which has an elongated slot 3I to receive a pin 32fixed to the lever 2D. This connection between the combing wheel and thesuction cup insures simultaneous lowering of these elements onto thepile of sheets while allowing the combing wheel to be lifted by itsspring 21 independently of the suction cup.

Acting'in opposition to the spring 21 to lower the combing wheel intooperative engagement with the pile of sheets is a pneumatic actuatingmeans, indicated generally by the numeral 33, This actuating meanscomprises a cylinder 34 iixedly mounted in any suitable manner as by twosupporting arms 35 and 36 which project rearwardly arid upwardly fromthe shaft 22 and another similar shaft 31, respectively. The cylinder 34is open at its bottom and has a piston 38 operating therein. The pistonis connected through a link 39 with the outer end of a lever 40 fixed tothe gear box I0 so as to be rigidly attached to the combing wheel.Conwheel and the suction sequently, raising of the piston 38 lowers thecombing wheel.

The upper closed end of the cylinder has a vertical suction port 4Iconnecting the cylinder witha constant source of suction (not shown)through a suction line 42. This upper closed end of the piston also hasa horizontal bore 43 intersecting the port 4I, which bore is connectedwith the source of suction which is applied at the suction cup through atting 44 and a suction line 45.

Slidable in th' bore 43 is a valve 46. The valve 46 is substantiallyspool-shaped and is yieldingly held by a spring 41 against an adjustablestop 48 in a position at which its reduced medial portion is inalignment with the port 4I. The adjustable stop 48 is threaded in a plug49 which closes the outer end of the bore 43 and the spring 41 isconfined between the opposite end of the valve 46 and the inner end ofthe bore 43.

An air bleed 50 also extends through the closed upper end of thecylinder, preferably parallel to the port 4I and intersected by the bore43. The location of this air bleed' with respect to the dimensions ofthe valve 46 is such that when the valve is in its normal position towhich it is urged by the spring 41, the air bleed is closed.

suction is periodically applied to the suction cup, and consequently,the inner end of the bore 43 under control of the cam controlled timingvalve i I8. The functioning of this valve is coordinated directly withthe raising and lowering of the suction cup so that when the suction cupis lowered toward the top of the pile, the valve is open and suction ispresent and upon being lifted, the valve is closed to cut oi the suctionand release the sheet.

There being a constant suction applied at the port 4I, it follows thatas long as this port is open, the piston -38 will tend to respond andlower the combing wheel onto the pile of sheets. However, this tendencyon the part of the piston 38 to lower the combing wheel is positivelyopposed by the connection between the combing cup so that the combingwheel moves into engagement with the pile of sheets only as the suctioncup and presser foot il are lowered. The disposition of these elementsin operative relation to the pile of sheets is tl" substantiallyconcurrent.

Immennely upon the engagement of the combing wheel with the top of thepile, the topmost sheets are buckled. As 4the topmost sheet engages themouth of the suction cup and seals it, the entire effect of the suctionin this line is applied on the valve 46 which, consequently, is drawn tothe left against the spring 41 to a position closing the port 4I anduncovering the air bleed 50. This disconnection of the cylinder from theconstant suction source immediately releases the combing wheel to belifted by its spring 21 so that the contact of the combing wheel withthe sheets is only long enough to effect the sealing of the suction cup.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, thatthis invention provides a sheet separator so constructed as to beconducive to high speed operation and in which the period of contactbctween the combing wheel and paper is reduced to a minimum.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a sheet separator: a combin wheel operatively engageable with thetop of a plurality of sheets to buckle the same; a suction cup forengaging the topmost sheet at its buckled portion; positively drivenmeans for raising and lowering the suction cup; yieldable means tendingat al1 times to lift the combing wheel off the sheets; pneumatic meansfor lowering the combing wheel onto the sheets; and valve meansresponsive to the sealing of the suction cup by the topmost sheet forrendering said last named pneumatic means inoperative so that thesealing of the sucl tion cup by thetopmost sheet is accompanied byimmediate lifting of the combing wheel.

2. In a sheet separator, the combination of a combing wheel biased toraised position; suction responsive means for lowering the combing wheelonto the topmost of a plurality of sheets to buckle the same; a suctioncup for engaging the topmost sheet at its buckled portion; and meansresponsive to the sealing of the suction cup by the topmost sheet forrendering said suction responsive means inoperative so that the sealingof the suction cup by the topmost sheet is accompanied by immediateraising of the combing wheel. I/

3. In a sheet separator: a combing eel adapted to engage the topmost ofa plura ty of sheets to buckle the same; a suction cup for engaging thetopmost sheet at its buckled portion; means responsive to suction forlowering the combing wheel `into operativeengagement with the topmostsheet; means for connecting the suction responsive means with a constantsource of suction; and means responsive to the sealing of the suctioncup for disconnecting said suction responsive means from its suctionsource./

4. A sheet separator: a combing wheel to buckle the topmost of aplurality of sheets; a suction cup for engaging the topmost sheet; meansfor yieldingly holding the combing wheel off the sheets; meansresponsive to suction for lowering the combing wheel onto the topmostsheet; means for connecting said suction responsive means with aconstant source of suction; means for connecting the suction cup with asource of suction; and means responsive to the suction applied at thesuction cup and operable upon sealing of the suction cup fordisconnecting the iirst n amed suction responsive means from its suctionsource.

5. In a sheet separator, the combination of: a combing wheel mova le toand from operative engagement with a p urality of sheets; a suction cupadapted to pick up one sheet from ,said plurality; means yieldinglyholding the combing wheel off the sheets; a constant source of suction;means responsive to said constant suction for engaging the combing wheelwith the sheets; means for providing suction at the suction cup; a valveresponsive to the suction applied at the suction cup for disconnectingsaid first named suction responsive means from its source of constantsuction to free the combing Wheel for movement out of engagement withthe sheets; and a spring holding said valve in an inoperative positionas long as the suction cup is open.

6. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel movable to and from operativeengagement with a plurality of sheets to buckle the same; a suction cupengageable with the topmost sheet; a spring tending at all times to movethe combing wheel out of engagement with the sheets; pneumatic meansacting in opposition to said yielding means for moving the combing wheelinto operative engagement with the sheets; means for providing suctionat the suction cup; and a valve responsive to the suction applied at thesuction cup, upon sealing of the suction cup for rendering saidpneumatic means inoperative to release the combing wheel for its springactuated movement.

'7. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel; means mounting the.combingwheel for movement to and from engagement with the topmost of aplurality of sheets; a suction cup adapted to engage the topmost sheet;a spring tending at all times to lift the combing wheel of! the sheets;a cylinder; a piston movable in the cylinder and connected with thecombing wheel to lower the same upon motion of the piston in onedirection; a suction line connected with the cylinder to evacuate thesame and cause motion of the piston in said direction; means forproducing a suction at the suction cup; and a valve responsive to thesuction applied at the suction cup upon sealing of the suction cup fordisconnecting the cylinder from said suction line so that the engagementof the sheet with the suction cup is accompanied by immediate lifting ofthe combing wheel. g/

8. In a. sheet separator: a combin wheel adapted to' be lowered onto thetopmost of a pile of sheets and biased to a raised inoperative position;a suction cup; positive means for raising and lowering the suction cup;constantly operative pneumatic means tending to lower the combing wheelinto operative relation with the topmost sheet; a connection between thecombing wheel and the suction cup to coordinate the lowering of thecombing wheel and suction cup, said connection allowing for the liftingof the combing wheel independently of the suction cup; and meansoperable upon the sealing of the suction cup for disconnectingthe'combing wheel from said constantly operative pneumatic means toinstantly release the combing wheel for movement to a raised position. s

9. In a sheet separator: a combing w eel; means mounting the combingwheel to os illate about a iixed axis to and from operative engagementwith the topmost of a pile of sheets; a suction cup; means mounting thesuction cup for movement toward and from the top of the pile of sheets;a spring yieldingly tending to lift the combing wheel off the top of thepile of sheets; pneumatic means to oppose the spring and lower thecombing wheel into operative engagement with the top of the pile ofsheets; positive means for raising and lowering the suction cup; a lostmotion connection between the suction cup and the combing wheel toinsure simultaneous lowering of the same while permitting the combingwheel to be lifted independently of the suction cup; and means operableupon sealing of the suction cup for disconnecting the combing Wheel fromits pneumatic actuating means to release the same for immediate liftingby said spring.

10. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel movable to and from operativeengagement with the top of a pile of sheets; a suction cup movabletoward and from the top of the pile of sheets; a presser foot movablewith the suction cup and so disposed with respect to the suction cup andcombing wheel that the suction cup is positioned between the presserfoot and combing wheel so that sheets buckled between the presser footand combing wheel are moved upwardly toward the mouth oi' the suctioncup; positive means for raising and lowering the suction cup and presserfoot; a spring at all times tending to lift the combing wheel of! thepile of sheets; pneumatic means connected with the combing wheel andoperable in opposition to the spring for lowering the combing wheel ontothe pile of sheets; a lost motion connection between the combing wheeland the connected suction cup and presser foot to insure simultaneouslowering of the suction cup, presser foot and combing wheel whileenabling independent lifting of the combing wheel; means for providingsuction at the suction cup; and means responsive to the suction appliedat the suction cup upon sealing oi the suction cup for rendering thepneumatic means inoperative to release the combing wheel for immediatelifting by its spring.

11. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel adapted to engage the topmostof a. pileof sheets to buckle the same; a suction cup for engaging thetopmost sheet at its buckled portion; pneumatic means for holding thecombing wheel against the topmost sheet of said pile; and meansresponsive to the sealing of the suction cup by the topmost sheet forrendering said pneumatic means inoperative.

12. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel adapted to engage the topmostot a pile of sheets to buckle the same; a suction cup for engaging'- thetopmost sheet at its buckled portion; pneu# matic means for lowering thecombing wheel onto the sheets and for holding the combing wheel againstthe topmost sheet of said pile; and means responsive to the sealing ofthe suction cup by the topmost sheet for rendering said pneumatic meansinoperative.

13. In a sheet separator: a combing wheel; means for biasing the combingwheel to raised position; pneumatic means acting in opposition to saidbiasing means for lowering the combing Wheel onto the topmost of a pileof sheets and for holding the wheel thereon to buckle the topmost sheet;a suction cup for engaging the topmost sheet at its buckled portion; andmeans responsive to the sealing of the suction cup by the topmost sheetfor rendering said pneumatic means inoperative so that the sealing ofthe suction cup by the topmost sheet is accompanied by immediate raisingof the combing wheel.

FRANK R. BELLUCHE.

